Mullah Omar Promises More Attacks In Afghanistan

An ISAF soldier visiting a destroyed school in Kabul on October 19 (epa) October 22, 2006 -- Afghanistan's fugitive Taliban leader, Mullah Omar, says his men will increase their attacks against foreign forces and oust them from the country.

Mullah Omar's message, on the eve of the Eid al-Fitr holiday marking the end of Ramadan, was reportedly sent via electronic mail to Pakistan's NNI news agency. Mullah Omar's message also said he was confident the U.S.-led coaltion would be defeated just like the Soviets.

Meanwhile, NATO reported today its troops killed at least 15 insurgents in southern Afghanistan after the rebels attacked their convoy.

The NATO-led international Security Assistance Force (ISAF) said the attack came in the southern province of Zabul on October 21. No ISAF personnel were injured.

The ISAF soldiers in Afghanistan are trying to help the government establish stability against a resurgent Taliban militia.

In Kabul, the Afghan government and the United Nations appealed today for $43 million in international aid to respond to a severe drought and help families displaced by fighting in the country's south.

A UN statement said 1.9 million people will need food assistance, because of a shortfall in the wheat harvest. The appeal includes help for some 20,000 families displaced by fighting in Oruzgan, Helmand, and Kandahar provinces.

(dpa, AFP, AP)